Chapter 78 Seals.
The second day of the second lunar month is known as the Dragon Raising its Head, a day specially chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
The retired emperor abdicated in favor of his son, Crown Prince Qin Lie, and changed the era name to Tiansheng.
At the enthronement ceremony, the new emperor posthumously honored Lady Shen as Empress Xiaozhang and appointed his eldest son, Qin Xu, as crown prince.
The Duan Prince's family moved to the palace, but Lingyi still chose Chonghua Palace. The palace was full of capable people, and they managed to restore Chonghua Palace to its state before her marriage. As she walked into the palace, she felt as if she had returned to more than ten years ago. It was as if she could see Aunt Liucui calling for Yinshuang and Aoxue to serve food, Xie Yu watching her slack off helplessly, her Crown Prince smiling gently at her, the Fifteenth Princess standing aloof behind everyone, and the Sixteenth Princess beckoning to her from outside the door, "Seventeenth, come quickly! Swing with me on the swing!"
Qin Lie held her hand beside him, "Why are you still crying? If you don't like it, I'll have them rearrange it right away."
Lingyi held back her tears and gently shook her head: "No need... It's all the same, really it's all the same."
Upon arriving at Chonghua Palace, Qin Lie seemed even more excited than she was, touching and looking at everything, even the small drawers on her dressing table.
Lingyi couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking for?"
Qin Lie said, "This is also my first time entering a woman's boudoir, so naturally I want to take a good look to see if there's anything hidden inside."
Lingyi had never realized how naive he was, and reminded him, "Your Majesty, don't forget, I just came in like you. What could I possibly be hiding?"
Unexpectedly, he actually found something: a small seal in a drawer with two words engraved on it: Ziqi.
Qin Lie knew who wrote the characters as soon as he saw them, and asked her, "Who is Ziqi?"
Lingyi never expected that the seal he had discarded years ago would be returned to him, and he happened to see it. He casually said, "I just carved it casually when I was bored as a child, and I've long forgotten about it now."
Qin Lie then realized, "It's Xie Yu."
He paused, then gave a sarcastic laugh: "The princess and Xie Yu are truly childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. I have been married to the princess for many years, and I have never seen the princess put so much effort into me. I'm afraid the princess doesn't even know what my courtesy name is."
Under his intense gaze, Lingyi was speechless—she truly didn't know.
When Qin Lie looked at the "boudoir" again, he felt that Xie Yu's shadow was everywhere. He didn't know where he had stood or sat, or chatted and laughed with her.
The more I looked at it, the angrier I became, and I just wanted to burn it down to the ground.
Seeing his increasingly grim expression, Lingyi explained, "You know perfectly well that if I still had feelings for him, I would have visited his residence when we were in Zhuozhou. He has rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor and is now a trusted advisor to you. Do you really intend to kill him?"
Qin Lie naturally knew all this, otherwise he wouldn't have given Xie Yu such an important position, but he was still unsettled. He stood with his hands behind his back, his face solemn, and the palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe.
Lingyi, however, was not going to tolerate him and deliberately said, "As expected of the emperor, even your temper has gotten bigger. Do you still want to punish me?"
Qin Lie sighed helplessly, no longer daring to give her a hard time.
But at night, whether it was the stamp that excited him or the novelty of the "boudoir," he became exceptionally excited.
Lingyi, sweating profusely, said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is so vigorous and energetic that I am truly unable to bear the burden. Perhaps you should find some of my sisters to share the load?"
One sentence angered him so much that he caused him to make a fuss again.
Afterwards, as he held her in his arms and looked out at the bright moon over the red walls and yellow tiles, he was still savoring the wonderful moments of their "stealing of fragrance and jade" in the boudoir. He regretted saying, "Back then, I disliked the many rules in the capital, so I refused to come whenever my father came to the capital. He would only bring my eldest or second eldest brother. If I had known earlier that there was such a little princess in the palace, I would have insisted on coming to see her."
Lingyi said, "When I was in the palace, I never saw any young generals from outside."
She wouldn't get a chance to attend those lively banquets.
Qin Lie laughed: "You don't need to show up. I will come to find you myself. Those guards can't stop me at all. I will definitely climb over the wall every night."
How could Lingyi not know what he wanted to do? She spat, "How old was I back then?"
If there were no other matters, the generals at the border would only return to the capital once every two or three years. She was only fifteen when she married him, and she was even younger when Qin Shiyan last came to the capital, probably only eleven or twelve.
Qin Lie gave a regretful "hmm," and said, "You are indeed too young. In that case, I will have no choice but to take you to Jizhou to raise you. If I had met you earlier, what would have become of Xie Yu?!"
In the end, he was still petty and narrow-minded, still obsessed with that seal. If he didn't get what he wanted, he feared it would never end.
Lingyi said helplessly, "I will carve the seal for you tomorrow."
Qin Lie remained silent.
Lingyi sighed: "Two pieces."
Qin Lie remained silent.
Lingyi said, "If you push your luck any further, I'll get angry!"
Qin Lie reluctantly said, "Two pieces is fine, I'll use them carefully. But you've given him everything, so you have to give me double the amount."
.
Although Qin Lie ascended the throne, the retired emperor continued to live in the Qianqing Palace and never mentioned moving the palace.
Qin Lie didn't care about his father's stubborn resistance. He spent his days handling state affairs at the imperial court and his nights staying at Chonghua Palace.
However, there were people in the court who wanted to serve the new emperor. Soon, a minister wrote to the retired emperor, urging him to move out of the Qianqing Palace as soon as possible in a tactful manner.
After all, emperors throughout history have all wanted to hold onto power until the very last moment of their lives. Empress Dowagers were common, but retired emperors were truly rare.
Even a mountain cannot hold two tigers, and when two dragons occupy the palace, the ministers sometimes feel awkward.
The retired emperor was still dreaming of being trapped in the palace and being rescued by his ministers. However, as more and more people submitted memorials, including several Grand Secretaries, he not only agreed to move the palace within a few days, but also took the initiative to go to the temporary palace and take several princes with him.
Upon seeing the list of several adult princes, the senior officials exchanged knowing glances.
Qin Lie readily agreed and politely escorted the Emperor Emeritus and his brothers to the temporary palace.
Upon entering the Qianqing Palace, Qin Lie's first decree was to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Lingyi, granting her the authority to manage the affairs of the six palaces. He also conferred the title of Prince Gong on Qin Can and Prince Rui on Qin Huan. As for the remaining princes of the retired emperor, apart from the one who had been conferred the title of prince along with Qin Lie, none of the others were even conferred the title of Prince of the County. In fact, he even found a reason to demote the young prince to the rank of Prince of the County.
Throughout history, there have been many emperors who seized power illegitimately. When they came to power, they all tried to cover it up, and the first thing they did was to treat their relatives well.
This new emperor not only didn't try to cover it up, but he even tore off his fig leaf, which shows how strong-willed and domineering he was.
When Lingyi was conferred her title at Chonghua Palace, a golden book and a golden seal were sent along with the imperial edict and the ceremonial robes for a Noble Consort.
Such great favor should at least make others feel extremely grateful, if not overwhelmed with gratitude.
Li Shaobao went to Chonghua Palace in person to deliver the imperial decree and flattered her, saying, "This golden book and seal are only given to the Empress when she is conferred a title. The Emperor went so far as to exceed the prescribed limits to prepare one for the Imperial Noble Consort, which shows how much he cherishes her!"
However, Lingyi merely glanced at it indifferently, without showing the slightest joy on her face.
Even when Qin Lie came over that night, she mocked him: "Are the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate of your Daxian government just sitting around doing nothing? Why didn't they stop the Emperor?"
The golden book and seal represent the empress's authority. If the emperor favors someone, he can bestow a set upon them. Where is the empress's authority then?
It's one thing that Qin Lie's harem only has Lingyi now, but since he has set a precedent, it's hard to guarantee that future generations won't follow suit, and chaos will inevitably ensue in the harem.
Qin Lie understood all of this, but he still did it this way, naturally he had his reasons.
"People in the palace are used to fawning on the powerful and belittling the weak. With these things, you won't be looked down upon by anyone."
There were also the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager in the palace. Although they refused to acknowledge him and stayed indoors, they were still his elders. He couldn't always look after her, so only with these women could she be considered the head of the six palaces and rightfully rule the harem.
Seeing that Lingyi remained silent, he explained, "You don't need to do everything yourself. Others will handle the work. You just need to assume the title."
Lingyi said, "Although the Emperor Emeritus has gone to the temporary palace, he has left behind dozens of concubines. Let the Empress Dowager manage the harem. I don't want to spend all my time dealing with their cases."
She didn't want to get involved in the Empress Dowager's affairs, but the Empress Dowager came looking for her.
She wouldn't bother with anyone else, but she had no choice but to see this imperial concubine.
The thirteenth princess was still incomparably beautiful, but her face was pale, and her brows were full of sorrow and desolation.
Emperor Jiahe had many children. Lingyi was not familiar with this taciturn elder sister in the past. Her last memory of her was that they were betrothed at the same time. She was betrothed to Liu Yunfei, who later died in Zhuozhou.
Lingyi only learned today that the thirteenth princess had been taken into the harem by Qin Shiyan.
In an ordinary family, two sisters of similar age, one serving their father and the other devoted to their son, might feel awkward meeting. But this is the royal family, where it's common for sisters or aunts and nieces to serve the same person, and no one finds it absurd.
Liu Yunfei's last words still circulated. Some people thought he was foolish, while others thought he was deeply devoted to his wife. In particular, among young women, there was a saying that "if you're going to marry, marry Liu Yunfei."
But no one expected that the thirteenth princess would also marry Liu Yunfei.
Unaware of her situation, she became the villain in someone else's story, bearing the blame that she shouldn't have had to bear.
Lingyi looked at her for a long time, then sighed and said, "Thirteenth Sister, it's good that you're still alive."
The Thirteenth Princess came to request permission from Lingyi to visit the imperial palace. The Emperor Emeritus had only taken a few of his favored concubines with him. When he first entered the capital, he had been captivated by the Thirteenth Princess's beauty upon first sight; otherwise, he wouldn't have changed her name and brought her into the palace, where he had indeed favored her for a time. However, he soon forgot about her, and as he grew older, he increasingly favored young and beautiful girls; the oldest of the concubines he took with him was only around twenty years old.
The thirteenth princess knelt down and pleaded, "I didn't go there to curry favor. I just heard that the palace was built on a mountain with beautiful scenery. I was born in the palace and married into a family that was confined to the inner quarters. Every day I only saw square brick walls. I really wanted to see if the scenery outside was really like the paintings my grandfather made. I know that I would have no worries about food and clothing in the palace, but if I didn't get the emperor's favor at the palace, I might even lack food and clothing. But I'm not afraid. I had already resigned myself to my fate until I learned that the new emperor's imperial concubine was actually my sister. I thought this might be my last chance, and I hope you can grant my wish!"
She raised her head, her eyes filled with hope that lessened her sorrow.
Lingyi pondered for a moment and said, "The imperial palace is not a good place. I cannot agree to your request."
The thirteenth princess hurriedly said, "But I..."
Lingyi interrupted her and continued, "I have another place to go, I wonder if you would like it?"
.
Previously, natural disasters and wars left the land barren and sparsely populated. Now, with peace and stability in the land and people living in peace, the land tax system promulgated during the war needs to be adjusted.
Qin Lie spent a long time discussing matters with several ministers in the cabinet before returning to the Qianqing Palace just before dinner.
Unexpectedly, the princess was in the palace. Not only him, but even Li Shaobao was surprised when he heard the news.
Before the Imperial Noble Consort entered the palace, Li Shaobao had done his homework. He had asked the old palace elders who had met the Seventeenth Princess in the past. They all said that the Seventeenth Princess was beautiful, innocent and kind-hearted, and a rare good mistress in the palace.
Li Shaobao scoffed at this. To be favored by the emperor, one must be beautiful, but if one were innocent and naive, how could one have reached this point? Therefore, he put on his best effort.
Unexpectedly, once this Imperial Noble Consort entered the palace, she remained in Chonghua Palace and rarely came out.
Li Shaobao secretly guessed that since the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager didn't even acknowledge the Emperor, they naturally wouldn't give her a good look. As for the other concubines in the palace, they were all elders to her, and she didn't know how to act as an Imperial Noble Consort. It was normal that she was unwilling to leave Chonghua Palace.
But soon he realized that something was unusual about it.
Even when the emperor summoned her, she refused to come.
At first, Li Shaobao went to summon him in person, but when he arrived at Chonghua Palace, he didn't even see the person and was turned away by the palace servants.
He was afraid the emperor would think he couldn't even handle such a small matter, but when he returned, the emperor only sighed slightly, finished dealing with state affairs, and went to Chonghua Palace on his own.
The same thing happened for several days in a row, and Li Shaobao realized that the Imperial Noble Consort was not targeting him, but rather that she did not like the Emperor.
When the Emperor visited Chonghua Palace, the Imperial Noble Consort was not cold and aloof; historical records show she was favored almost daily. However, once the Emperor was away, she became somewhat indifferent. On one occasion, the Emperor was extremely busy, and Chonghua Palace was quite remote, so he issued two edicts summoning the Imperial Noble Consort to Qianqing Palace. She remained unmoved, infuriating the Emperor to the point of smashing his teacup. He initially thought she was about to fall out of favor, but after finishing his work, he still rushed over before dawn and attended court early the next morning. Even when the Imperial Noble Consort was menstruating, the Emperor never missed a day and always stayed at Chonghua Palace.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Noble Consort came in person today. Li Shaobao secretly speculated that perhaps this alternation of tension and relaxation was the Imperial Noble Consort's tactic.
When the Emperor and the Consort were together, they did not need any palace servants to attend to them. Li Shaobao quickly retreated outside the palace and seemingly closed the door, but in reality, the palace servants had the ability to eavesdrop and soon heard the sounds inside.
At first, the Emperor shouted, "Outrageous! She is the Emperor Emeritus's concubine; how dare she leave the palace without permission?!"
Then came the voice of the Imperial Noble Consort: "The Emperor Emeritus has so many concubines that he probably doesn't even remember who Thirteenth Sister is. If we let her fake her death and get out, no one will care."
No matter how much the Imperial Noble Consort pleaded, the Emperor refused to budge.
Although Li Shaobao had lost his illegitimate child, he was still a man at heart and felt that the Imperial Noble Consort was simply fantasizing.
Once a woman is possessed by a man, whether she is his wife, concubine, or mistress, she becomes his property.
Unless the man divorces her, she will remain chaste for him even if he dies.
Moreover, this man is not only the emperor's father, but also the retired emperor.
Whether for the sake of the royal family's reputation or the Emperor Emeritus's face, the Emperor would not agree. Not punishing the Imperial Noble Consort is already an act of great imperial grace!
The Imperial Noble Consort pleaded for a long time to no avail, and her voice turned cold. "In that case, I will return. Your Majesty is busy with many affairs of state, and you will no longer need to travel back and forth between Chonghua Palace and Qianqing Palace."
Then came the rustling sound of clothes, as if the Emperor had embraced her and sighed helplessly, "Why has your temper become so bad since you came to the palace?"
The Imperial Noble Consort asked in a drawn-out tone, "Perhaps because you have become the Emperor, I have also become greedy, wanting more and more things. Will the Emperor give them to me, or not?"
Even though Li Shaobao wasn't exactly a complete man, he still trembled at the last sentence. It wasn't hard to imagine how charming the Imperial Noble Consort's face must have looked at that moment.
The Emperor, unable to contain himself any longer, pondered and said, "If you wish for her to leave the palace, I can grant her the title of lay Buddhist and allow her to cultivate outside the palace. Apart from observing some basic rules and regulations, she will still have people to serve and care for her. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than living alone outside?"
Li Shaobao thought to himself, "This isn't a bad idea. As long as a mere unfavored concubine doesn't tarnish the royal family's reputation, it doesn't really matter where she is. There are precedents of concubines and even empresses in previous dynasties going out of the palace to cultivate themselves. As for whether she goes to cultivate herself or enjoy a life of luxury, isn't it all up to the Imperial Noble Consort?"
At this point, the Imperial Noble Consort had achieved her wish.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Noble Consort was still not satisfied, her voice choked with sobs: "My fifteenth sister helped me escape, yet you forbade her to approach the capital; my sixteenth sister married Xie Yu, yet you didn't want me to be too close to her; even though she entered the palace, Huan'er couldn't be raised by my side... Now, I finally have another sister, the one who poses the least obstacle, yet you want her to become a nun..."
When the Imperial Noble Consort started crying, the Emperor immediately gave in and coaxed her repeatedly, "Don't cry, I'll do whatever you want."
Then came the sticky, wet sounds of their lips and tongues meeting. Li Shaobao dared not listen any longer and hurriedly ordered the palace servants to prepare water.
That night, Lingyi stayed at the Qianqing Palace, lay on the body of the True Dragon Emperor, and used the seal dipped in ink to press one stamp after another on his chest.
Qin Lie grabbed her hand, his voice satisfied and hoarse: "Stop fooling around!"
Although the ink stains weren't impossible to wash off, the imperial pine soot ink, once applied to a person, would take at least a month to wash off completely.
Lingyi put away the seal, looked at the ink on his body, and moved back in disgust.
This behavior can no longer be described as simply despicable. Qin Lie snorted coldly and pulled her back. She had brought it upon herself and was immediately covered in clumps of sweat, especially since she still had the thin layer of sweat from their lovemaking earlier.
The more she pushed him away, the closer he pressed against her. Their skin touched, and things were about to escalate again. She dared not struggle any longer, nestled in his arms, and suddenly became very interested in his handwriting. "So your handwriting is Chongguang. Who gave you that name?"
Qin Lie was well aware of her little scheme to divert his attention, and knowing the principle of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, he did not insist. He replied, "My grandfather named me Lie. He said I have a fiery temper and am too impulsive. He named me Lie so that I would always remember to restrain my temper and think things through before acting. I originally wanted to use Ruze to balance things out, but then I thought that if I could go all the way down a dark path, it might not be a bad way out. So I simply named myself Lie Zizhongguang. It's all about fire, fighting fire with fire."
Lingyi said enviously, "I don't even have a courtesy name; I wasn't given a given name until I was eight years old."
Qin Lie naturally wouldn't forget, "I know, Xie Yu named it for you."
Her voice was extremely acrid. Having just asked someone for a favor, Lingyi tried to coax him in return, saying, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, may I ask if you could bestow a name upon me?"
Qin Lie said, "Didn't we already name you? Jingrou, Roujing, which one do you like?"
Although Lingyi was trying to coax him, she also had her own preferences. These two words were too ordinary to refuse directly, so she simply didn't respond.
Qin Lie said, "Fire and gentle breeze; fire rags across the plains, still waters run deep; what better name could there be in the world?"
No wonder he seemed obsessed with this name, even using it as the false identity he gave her.
She thought for a moment and said, "Actually, the name isn't important. You'll get used to it."
Qin Lie glared at her. Knowing she was in the wrong, she tilted her head up and kissed the corner of his mouth, then asked playfully, "No matter what name I use, I'm still me, so what difference does it make?"
What else could Qin Lie do but agree?
But as she pulled away after the kiss, he grabbed her waist and said, "Princess, why don't you carve a seal for yourself too?"
Engraving seals is laborious and mentally taxing, and Lingyi wasn't entirely willing to do it. "Why?"
“Engrave your own name, dab it with cinnabar, and then stamp it on me, imprint it on my chest and here…” He pulled her hand down, holding it tightly and not letting her let go, and whispered with a smile in her ear: “The cinnabar on the jade seal will not fade for a thousand years, just like me, from beginning to end, forever and ever… I belong to the princess.”
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